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I’m impatient, I wanted to share these now. Right behind the Jolly Roger on Ocracoke Island is my secret little spot to photograph pelicans. They are always there. Erynn and I walked up on them and I started shooting. I absolutely LOVE the detail of pelicans - they are incredible to photograph. I only spent about 5 minutes shooting, and it was hard to pick the favorites from the batch.
This is a reminder that the studio is closed until July 21st so that I can spend some much-needed time with my family. If you just had your baby, please call me at 443-299-2752 and leave a message, and I will get back with you right away. All other questions or session inquiries, please email theblackhorsestudio@verizon.net — I will have email access periodically during this time and will answer you as soon as possible.
Well, I have had several newborns lately that we have photographed outdoors… can’t wait to share… here’s one, and he’s awake 
I might not be able to post to my blog every day, but I am trying to keep it interesting :) I love to share client work… but I do like to share my personal stuff here as well, because I need to force myself to bring out the camera during non-work time. My original love was photographing nature, so somehow over the past 2 years, I have lost track of that…
I shared our spring project a few weeks back - we took some eggs from our chickens to hatch… We have our first batch of 14 hatching as I type ;) I woke up yesterday morning at around 4 a.m., half dreaming I was hearing chirping. I stumbled down the steps and looked in the incubator. I saw nothing unusual but could actually hear peeping. This meant that one of the eggs pipped through its membrane and was breathing air from the air sack. Even though it was a day away from due date, looked like something was going to happen.
I fell asleep on the couch, and Dean checked on the eggs before going to work and told me he saw a hole in one of the eggs. Yep, we had an external pip!
Almost 12 hours later, my stepdaughter, Ally, came over so we could go to her riding lesson, and it was perfect timing. The first egg hatched out! Since then, we have had 8 more fully hatch, and signs of a few more hatching… 9 out of 14 so far… not bad for my first hatch!
Here’s progression of the first one to hatch… I’ll post more pictures later when I can take them out of lockdown and once they get fluffy…
Although I do enjoy being a baby, child, family photographer, my original love is photographing my surroundings. I really miss it. It has been a long time since I took out my camera for my own enjoyment and photographed nature, animals, and/or just things in general… I need to somehow in my busy schedule make some time for the “me” shots. I love to capture the essence of my surroundings.
At any rate, my husband and I are heading out to St. Michael’s Maryland. I’m teaching photographers at the Savvy Sisterhood Workshop on the Waterfront at the Perry Cabin Inn (the beautiful and amazing Inn used in the Wedding Crashers movie).
I want to blog while I am gone, but not sure if I will have the time or not, so no promises, but I’ll definitely share when I get back.
Until then, here are some images that I took the last time I was in St. Michael’s…. enjoy! 
Please don’t forget to vote today - we only have today and tomorrow left…
While seeing my daughter off on the bus this morning, I happened to look down and spot this… I miss shooting for fun - just shooting every day objects and nature around me, and hope to get back into it at some point, but running a busy studio is keeping me from bringing out my camera during non-working times, so I’ll grab things when I can…
This year, everyone has been talking — Many of our cornfields in Northern Harford and Baltimore Counties have been replaced with sunflowers… beautiful!!! This is about 1 mile from my studio. Just a few snaps - as just when I was concentrating on getting these shots on the side of the road, some big white van sped by me and honked his horn - scaring me half to death!
I noticed beautiful pink tones coming through my front windows last night, just as Dean told me to look outside, the sky is beautiful. He was right - directly in front of my house above the cornfields, the sun was setting. Such a beautiful night led to such an ugly rainy morning…
Before I show the beauty of the beach, I wanted to share this interesting waterspout that was next to our vehicle - I took this picture through the driver’s side window as we were driving down the main road of Ocracoke Island, heading towards Howard’s Pub. Dean noticed it first, so I got my camera out just in time to see it turn into a full fledged waterspout that touched down onto the water…
If you are a Marylander who has only grown up going to Ocean City, you are missing out on something amazing… I’m a beach snob, okay, I admit it. I like privacy, I don’t like crowds - I enjoy peace and tranquility and personal space! LOL!
Here’s how we do the beach…
Let a little air out of the tires, and head right out on the sand… One year, the sand was very very dry and deep and we didn’t let some air out of the tires and got stuck. My husband with his amazing super-human strength ;) lifted the back end of our vehicle out of the sand just enough for me to depress the accelator and get us out…
So here’s the view… We have learned from other’s mistakes and now know that you must not back your vehicle too close to the waves, and be very careful as the tide comes in to get back to the paved road before you get trapped!
Ahh… and ahead of us lies the ocean….
Next, you set up right out of the back of your vehicle…
Beaches should have plenty of seashells…
And lots of teeny colorful clams that move before your eyes, digging back into the sand after every wave…
Don’t forget, you are never too old to dig for sand crabs!
Ahhh… the sea birds!
Frisbee anyone?
There’s something about sea oats and dunes that fascinate me…
Did I mention this is the only way to do the beach?
I purchased my first point and shoot camera before going on vacation this year. I know, you all are thinking “huh?” I have never owned a point and shoot consumer camera. I have always owned SLRs and DSLRs. Point and shoot cameras are foreign to me. Despite being a Nikon fan, after much thought, I decided on the Canon PowerShot D10 waterproof camera. This camera can be submerged in water, and I wanted to know that when I was out riding, kayaking, etc., if my camera got wet, it would be safe. It’s also a bit freeing not to lug around a big DSLR once in a while ;) So when you view the kayaking pictures - they were taken with this very same point and shoot. I don’t think it turned out too bad at all.
Changing the subject a bit — If you have ever vacationed in Cape Hatteras or Ocracoke Island, you know that there are no lifeguards. You basically have to be careful and heed the warnings of severe rip currents, and keep an eye out for things like sharks… yikes, I know. We were out in the ocean one day with severe rip currents, and it was a little scarey, but we did our best to stay safe. I was just awed by the power of these waves, they were incredible, and way above our heads!
Here’s a quick shot of my kids the first day we went out in the water. It’s hard for me to believe that Barrett is only 2 years, 10 months older than Erynn, but he is double her size/weight. He has no trouble scooping her up and carrying her with no effort - but geesh, he didn’t have to drop her, on purpose of course… *sigh*
Erynn underwater…
So I have really had a hard time coming to terms with something that happened this week. We booked a fishing boat, The Godspeed, for a full day. We were heading out to fish in the ocean. We had visions of pulling in some big dauphin or blue marlin, anything… I was going to take all these images and even videotape some of it… We were all excited. My biggest fear was the seamonsters in my imagination
Before I go on, let me say, I am well aware that some people get motion sickness, and in fact, I have gotten it occasionally in the car driving down windy country roads; however, I have always been able to muscle my way through it. I consider myself a fairly strong individual. I do have some fears (water, heights, etc.), but I force myself to face it, and work through it… One thing I have always had trouble with is medicine. Okay, yeah, that’s not a fear, but you won’t catch me popping Tylenol, ibuprofen, and I absolutely cannot take pain meds (as I have said before, two C-sections and hernia repair without pain meds is rather interesting - so yes, I don’t feel I am a weak person)… I did take a half dose of non-drowsy dramamine a year or so ago, and it knocked me out for an entire day. No lie. I swore that I would never take it again. Ever. You have to understand, even taking 400 mg of ibuprofen will make me incredibly sleepy.
So yeah, ocean fishing - waves… no problem. I went fishing and crabbing with my dad all the time growing up. I had seabands for pressure points, I had ginger tablets, and I had an herbal substance you place behind your ears, as well as a positive attitude and a fighting spirit. I also had the power of being able to muscle through occasional motion sickness. I very seldom vomit. I can actually fight my way through that feeling and get through it without getting sick.
Little did we realize that this particular day we were to go out on the ocean… the waves were 6-10 feet according to the news…
We began on our journey. We sat in the cabin. Dean and Barrett on one side, Erynn and myself on the other. We began to hit some huge waves. I wasn’t nauseous at all. It was fun… we were all laughing. The boat would go up, and then there was nothing under us… we would free fall drop down… it was like a rollercoaster, it was incredible! This was going to be SO MUCH FUN!!! I looked out the cabin door, keeping my eyes on the horizon, and watching the waves crashing everywhere… it was amazing. I couldn’t wait until we got to the area to start fishing.
Ummmm…. what’s the queasy feeling? hmmm… that’s not good. I quickly grabbed the herbal stuff and put it behind my ears after discarding my mint gum. Okay, I feel better… that’s good. Two minutes later… ugh… oh no… this isn’t good.
Dean got up out of his seat, and like spiderman, he was hanging onto anything he could to get me a bag….
At that point, I didn’t care who saw me, the force that I got sick was like nothing I have ever felt before…. wow…. and it wasn’t going away. Even when the boat stopped, it wasn’t easing up at all.
Later, I found out, Dean was laughing… he couldn’t believe it. He watched me get out my potions and pills and he said he thought any minute, I would start burning candles, incense, and doing some kind of voodoo chant LOL!!!!! but no, I was sick… very sick. It was beyond any flu, morning sickness, and even beyond the two times I have gotten food poisoning (salmonella at that).
Barrett was the next to fall… yes, he too succumbed to the massive waves swirling and sloshing around our insides….
I did glance over at Erynn, and her face was green. She was lucky to be in front of the air conditioning vent to help relieve the feeling, but she would be next, we all knew it.
Dean, who just a few weeks ago had his throat closing up after touching one of my horses, who is severely allergic to grass, molds, pollen, dust, you name it, had a smile on his face, and he felt perfectly fine.
Needless to say, we had to have the boat turn around and go back…
I’ve now learned my cryptonite is the ocean….
I have a new respect for ocean fisherman… I have a new respect for the founders of our country who sailed across the ocean… I cannot imagine…
I will never be a pirate.
Okay, so I am not doing the photo-a-day properly. I just can’t. I’m way too busy to follow it correctly, so therefore I am making up my own rules… I will TRY to take a photo a day but if I can’t, I will make up for it… like today…
The ice outside is beautiful, so I had to take some pictures… so this will cover being behind, right???
No, I’m not done with the vacation pictures… ;) I currently have triple the amount of sessions I usually have for the next two weeks… looks like the Christmas rush has already begun!
Here are two images of the sunset as we were getting ready to head out to kayak on the Sound at Pea Island. We had never been kayaking before, so if you know of my terrible fear of water (natural bodies of water), this was quite a challenge for me to get by my fears…
Erynn and I shared a kayak, and Dean and Barrett had their own. Barrett was launched out first… I have to say, being out there at sunset was absolutely BEAUTIFUL - nothing else like it. I wasn’t about to bring one of my good cameras out there in the water, so I did have a disposable waterproof Kodak - havn’t had that film developed yet, so this is all I have.
One simply AMAZING thing about the whole experience was as it was dark after the sun had gone down, we were paddling back to shore, and all of a sudden, you could see your paddle glowing a little. If you put your hand down in the water, you would see little specs of light. It was bioluminescence in the water (did I spell that right?) You could even pull your hand out of the water and see it all over your hands. If you looked down into the water, you could see fish swimming with a trail of it behind them. It was like nothing I had ever seen in my life. What an incredible experience!
Revisiting sitting at the Jolly Roger Pub on Ocracoke Island - that is when Dean had an epiphany. He felt that we should visit Portsmouth Island the next morning.
What a great thing to do, we have never been to the totally abandoned Portsmouth Island where no one lives…. why not?
Heh… funny.
We woke up the kids the next morning at 5 a.m. We needed to be on the ferry to Ocracoke by 6 a.m. The usual jam-packed Ocracoke Ferry was bare and empty… That’s our vehicle… all lonely… a few people on bikes sat behind it.
Our poor children… wondering why on earth they were pulled out of their nice cozy beds so early….
The only ones out were the fishermen…
It was all worth it for me and for Dean when we watched the sunrise over Hatteras…
Pelican at the dock…
So we got in a boat, and went from Ocracoke Island to Portsmouth Island… When we arrived, we waded through some water and up onto the beach, where we were given some ATVs. Note Barrett’s look of “I’m not sure about this” and Erynn’s look of “Why do I have to ride with Mommy - I don’t like her driving!”
Most of the beach pictures were taken by Erynn - I just had her aim and shoot… since I was driving…
We then went to the abandoned Portsmouth Village on foot. We had to wear hats and cover ourselves from head to toe in bug spray… it was incredible to watch the bugs swarm, but not bite. Evidentally, there are also weird giant rat creatures on the island as well called nutria… we were told they are huge, and they had big orange teeth… wish we would have gotten a chance to see one, but they were all hiding!
Some of the buildings and building elements…
Leaning church…
and then it was back to riding on the beach….
Sea turtle tracks…
and here are some of the seashells the kids picked up while on Portsmouth Island….
Taking a break from the vacation pictures for a bit, I thought I would share a beautiful sky out my back door this morning. Although I thoroughly enjoyed every minute on the islands down in NC, home to me is the rolling hills and the green
So after everyone is fed and feeling well, it’s time to drive out on the beach and relax! Well, relax for myself and Dean but the kids were everywhere…
Maybe I am spoiled, but this is the *ONLY* way to do the beach!!
Erynn has the right idea - goggles protect her eyes from the saltwater and sand!
Barrett has no trouble catching the waves…
Erynn, however, tries… but can’t quite get it…
I thought it was so sweet… Barrett took her out and helped her catch waves…
Uh oh… someone isn’t very happy….
Wet sand fight anyone?
As I said, I am going to show little clips of our vacation in posts here and there for the next… well… for the next - I have no idea how long, until I’m through editing. I can only edit a little at a time because I have customers and regular business items to take care of - so only in my very early mornings or late evenings, I will have time for this, but as I get finished sections, I will post a few pics, and then at the very end, construct a slideshow that will be made into our Cape Hatteras 2008 coffee table book for our family
Our beach house this year was soundside, and on a canal… it was very very relaxing.
This is Rocky the squirrel. He visited us every morning waiting for corn chips or peanuts… You will see a LOT of animal images with our vacation - we had quite a few visitors and my kids made some animal friends along the way lolol!
Sunset on the canal standing on our little dock…
I was so very touched by my children this year. Barrett and Erynn are very close. They are 2 years, 10 months apart in age - but so very close. If one of them hurts, the other hurts. They know how to make each other laugh, they know how to make US laugh…. They have such a special bond - I’m constantly amazed and I feel so very blessed to witness this type of relationship between siblings. Throughout my vacation images, I made sure I caught glimpses of this bond. Barrett is 12 now and in the 7th grade - big middle schooler should want nothing to do with his little sister, right? No, that’s not the case… here he is just holding her hand out in the rough water on the first day at the beach in Hatteras.
Strangely enough, just like last year, the first day on Hatteras, a storm was brewin’…
I cannot visit Hatteras without a snap of the sea oats
I had to drive to my friend’s house early this morning to feed her horses while she is away… and I just had to stop on the side of the road for this…
Today’s subject - purple tones…
This is interesting - these are little roots sticking out of the bottom of cornstalks…
Today’s subject is Green. These were all taken in my backyard… randomly per the subject line… I’m going to try to post a “random” day as often as I can. I have had so many request everyday things like I used to post years ago….
I firmly believe nearly everything in this world is beautiful if you look at it the right way…
Black walnut…
Dog kennel…
Corn with cornsilk.
Yesterday, I arrived at the news station in the morning, and wow… I had no idea I would get as nervous as I did. That was definitely an adventure. I am not meant to be in front of a camera, that’s for sure…. I will post the clip when I get it - they are mailing it out to me. My kids were thrilled - said it was cool to see mommy on TV… lol.
So spring has sprung… the big question is - can I keep up with my gardening this year? I have such high hopes to make my garden flourish beautifully but it never happens. This year my goal is to just keep a couple potted flowers alive on the front porch and to get some English ivy growing in an area on the side of our driveway - that stuff is really hard to kill, so I think I can do this!
I’m a little rusty on the macros… I need some practice - it has been a while.
Had a bit of down time due to a nasty sinus infection. Can you believe this warm weather in MD? But it still looks so icky outside… So I told myself, before I begin to work today, I would go out with my brand new Nikon D3 and shoot in my own backyard…
and I think everyone at some point in their life should live “rural”
With the new year approaching, everyone is deciding what their New Year’s Resolutions will be. One of mine is to do a 365 - at least one image will be posted here every day for one year. It may be of a client, or it may be of nature or any of my surroundings here in Maryland. I personally live in Northern Harford County on the border of PA, but my studio is in Baltimore County, so between Southern PA and those two counties, there are plenty of photos to be taken. What I would like to be disciplined about is stopping for a moment and shooting - like in these two cases… the first, I was driving to the stables to take one of my horses out to ride, and wanted to appreciate our surroundings…
or just stopping on the side of the road on the way to the studio when I see something a little bizarre like these buzzards that were taking a break along a fence…
Studio and office will reopen tomorrow morning (Monday). We are back from spending time in Deep Creek with our friends at their cabin! Here’s some images I took while out hiking. I have to say, Tracey and I are aching from the falls we took out on the rocks! Photographers do very stupid things - we focus on an image we just have to capture, and we are so focused in on getting that capture, we don’t pay attention to what is going on around us, and that’s when accidents happen! For me personally, I walked out on a huge rock - stepped in a wet spot on it, and my feet flew right out from under me. In the process of trying to cradle and protect My Precious (my camera lolol), I landed on my right shoulder and back, and I am feeling it today! Ouch!!!
(the image of Tracey shooting on a rock was the last image I took before I fell! ;))
After a very full summer between teaching out of state and finally, finally, after a long year, we went away for a week and a half… and now the studio is back open and we are ready to begin the holiday rush!
If you are waiting for a response from an email or phone call, please expect it no later than Thursday, the 30th.
Just going to post a bunch of images from last week - you can click on them to see them larger…
